01-07-2006, 05:31 PM
Suicide blast kills 15 sailors in Sri Lanka
AFP
Saturday, January 07, 2006 19:42 IST
COLOMBO: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels blew up a naval gunboat, killing 15 Sri Lankan sailors, in a suicide attack on Saturday that dealt a fresh blow to efforts to save a tottering peace process, officials said.
<b>The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) deployed a woman cadre to ram an explosives-laden vessel into an Israeli-built Dvora class gunboat just outside the port of Trincomalee, the navy said in a statement. </b>
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"A woman LTTE cadre had been tasked to take on the target," </b>the navy said. "This incident is the latest act of the LTTE to fulfil its undeclared aim of attacking the navy under the guise of fishermen."
"There were two gunboats in the area and one saw the other being attacked," defence ministry spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said, adding fishermen rescued two sailors from the gunboat.
The attack inflicted the biggest single military loss of life since a truce went into effect in February 2002, defence officials said. President Mahinda Rajapakse huddled in talks with military commanders and called for restraint while taking precautions to prevent further rebel attacks, senior administration officials said.
"There will be no knee-jerk reaction," a senior aide told reporters. However, the private Centre for Policy Alternatives thinktank called the attack a major blow to peacebroker Norway's attempts to salvage the peace process.
"This is a big setback," said the centre's director Sunanda Deshapriya. "The Tigers want to drag the army into fighting and there are some in the defence establishment who may want just that."
Meanwhile, Norway is sending International Development Minister Erik Solheim later this month to try and revive talks between the two parties to save the Oslo-brokered ceasefire.
AFP
Saturday, January 07, 2006 19:42 IST
COLOMBO: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels blew up a naval gunboat, killing 15 Sri Lankan sailors, in a suicide attack on Saturday that dealt a fresh blow to efforts to save a tottering peace process, officials said.
<b>The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) deployed a woman cadre to ram an explosives-laden vessel into an Israeli-built Dvora class gunboat just outside the port of Trincomalee, the navy said in a statement. </b>
<b>
"A woman LTTE cadre had been tasked to take on the target," </b>the navy said. "This incident is the latest act of the LTTE to fulfil its undeclared aim of attacking the navy under the guise of fishermen."
"There were two gunboats in the area and one saw the other being attacked," defence ministry spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said, adding fishermen rescued two sailors from the gunboat.
The attack inflicted the biggest single military loss of life since a truce went into effect in February 2002, defence officials said. President Mahinda Rajapakse huddled in talks with military commanders and called for restraint while taking precautions to prevent further rebel attacks, senior administration officials said.
"There will be no knee-jerk reaction," a senior aide told reporters. However, the private Centre for Policy Alternatives thinktank called the attack a major blow to peacebroker Norway's attempts to salvage the peace process.
"This is a big setback," said the centre's director Sunanda Deshapriya. "The Tigers want to drag the army into fighting and there are some in the defence establishment who may want just that."
Meanwhile, Norway is sending International Development Minister Erik Solheim later this month to try and revive talks between the two parties to save the Oslo-brokered ceasefire.
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